St. Lucia to Lead U.N. General Assembly

Published 8:00 pm, Thursday, June 5, 2003

St. Lucia's foreign minister was elected president of the next U.N. General Assembly session Friday, the smallest country ever to lead the 191-member world body.

Julian Hunte, who is also international trade minister of the Caribbean island nation, will succeed Czech Foreign Minister Jan Kavan on Sept. 16 when the 58th General Assembly session opens.

The General Assembly is the main representative body of the United Nations, and Hunte's first major job will be to preside over the assembly's annual ministerial meeting from Sept. 23 to Oct. 3.

The U.N. post goes through a regional rotation each year, and Latin America and the Caribbean chose the leader of the 58th General Assembly session. Hunte was elected by acclamation.

In a speech after his election, Hunte thanked the group for selecting him saying, "it is notable that the presidency of this singularly important world body will pass to a representative of the smallest country ever to hold this office."

"Thus will the United Nations reaffirm its faith in the equal right of nations large and small, as enunciated in its charter," he said.

St. Lucia, population 160,000, became a member of the United Nations when it gained independence from Britain in 1979.